Danger_Zone

@TakeruK Thanks so much for going over that with me. I thought I may have had everything but it's nice to clarify, I feel a lot better now. Hope you are having a nice time in the US.

That's a good point. It would be an opportunity to get out more if I was in that situation. I looked into it a bit and there do seem to be some people who rent out their house while out of town, so something like that could work. I just hope I find a nice place without problems.. but I've never gotten my own place so I don't know what to expect.

I'm a Canadian student going to the US, so I don't need a student visa but just the i-20 (under F1 status.) I've been going over a check-list in my mind feeling like I'm going to go to the airport and realize I've forgotten something. So I thought I'd make a list of what I need here... maybe this will help other students make sure they have what they need too. So I have my: -passport (expires in 2018) -bachelor's degree certificate -i-20 -booked my international student check-in -paid SEVIS I-901 fee and printed receipt -proof of funding (in form of my TAship letter and bank statement... might possibly get a fresh one from the bank tomorrow.) -my acceptance letter -will be getting an immunization records document this week Whenever I look up check-lists I get information for students on a visa, so it can get kind of confusing knowing what it is I need. I'd appreciate if any Canadian students currently studying in the US could just ease my mind a bit.

Currently in the middle of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami.

Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely consider it if I'm having trouble finding something for some reason. Otherwise I don't really feel comfortable living in somebody else's house, to be honest. And my boyfriend and I would have to agree on a place but he'd be leaving once class starts and I'd rather not have to go through that trouble on my own once I'm already busy with school. I'm hoping everything just goes smoothly, I guess!

Hey that's my mouse! (It was hard to notice anything other than that adorable ball of fluff, but I managed!)

I think it's definitely normal. When I talked to my faculty advisor she told me I would probably end up researching a topic different than the one I proposed in my SOP. She said herself that she did not expect to be researching the topic she is currently writing a book on. She also told me not to rush into things, but to give myself time to find my research focus. Your knowledge and expertise will accumulate over time as you read more and more literature and research and get a feel for what kinds of questions out there are left unanswered. So don't feel pressured, just study what you enjoy and I think the topic will find you.

I bet it would make you feel a lot better if you could plan a vacation soon. Even if Christmas break is a little while off, just the act of planning a trip may help you focus on something else and give you something to look forward to. The fact that you are so busy will make the vacation feel so well deserved too. I figured I'm going to be stressed some during school, so I've already planned a vacation during Christmas break and a quick trip to Chicago during a fall break. In the mean time, could you give yourself a free spa day? Maybe take a nice bath with some aromatherapy candles, give yourself a manicure or some nice leave in conditioner for your hair? I don't know if you're into any of these things, but I find taking a bit of time to take care of myself helps relieve some stress, even if it's something tiny. @pterosaur Damn, all I can say is good luck! You got this.

Sorry you are overwhelmed, that must be tough. I hope you find some time to unwind. Is there any way your relative could help you out with things you need to get done?

Well good luck with your research! I'm surprised you are still being expected to do so much at this point. Hope you figure something out with Christmas break as well. I don't think I can convince my family to come see me so I'll probably spend Christmas with my boyfriend. My textbook list is finally up and it sounds awesome! A lot of reading but every book sounds super interesting. I already have one of the books and was planning on reading it soon. It pays off to be a nerd sometimes huh?

@hippyscientist I know how you feel. I'm not in school anymore but I'm only going to have 3 weeks to find a place before TA orientation starts. I'm assuming it won't take that long but, it's just hard to relax knowing how busy I am going to be soon.

This month I've read Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, The Castle by Franz Kafka and Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. Currently I'm in the middle of Time Basics by Jim Muncy and Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach.

I recently got in contact with an old high school teacher. He got me into history, philosophy, Monty Python... essentially he was an awesome teacher. I was kind of nervous and expecting him to not remember me but we had a nice talk. @fernandes Congrats, that's awesome! Feels great to be finished doesn't it!

Hmm I hadn't thought of that. I suppose my posture has improved quite a bit, I was kind of a sloucher when I was younger. I guess what you all have said about publishing names makes sense. I guess I'm probably overestimating how many publications I will put out during grad school, but hopefully at least one! I'm sorry, that's awful... I don't like to be yelled at either. I just try to tell myself that anger and yelling are very stupid ways to get your point across or to get what you want, so the person doing the yelling is the one that should feel bad and embarrassed, not me. I'm not sure if that helps at all but, it helps me some at least.

@sjoh197 Yikes! Well good luck with telling his parents that whenever you do. I think my parents are starting to accept that I don't want children - especially since my little sister is baby-crazy and has taken some of the pressure off of me - but sometimes I still get to hear all the reasons about why I "need" to have children. As for the publishing thing I hadn't actually thought about that but was planning on taking my boyfriend's name once we were married, which would probably be after I graduate and hopefully already have a publication(s). I wanted to just hyphenate his name on the end of mine but it sounds weird to be honest. Is it a bad idea to be published under two names?

@hippyscientist That actually doesn't sound too bad, I am considering buying one. I was just always concerned that it wouldn't be.. enough. Sooo.. is it normal to continue to grow at age 24? I noticed some of my pants that I've worn for years have suddenly gotten too short, so I measured myself today and have grown nearly an inch! I haven't really gotten taller since middle school. Now I'm ticked off that I need to buy more pants.

Yeah, when I tell people things like medications aren't covered here they're surprised as well! I think the image of our healthcare is a tad nicer than reality, but every place has their downsides (I think the misconception is that all of our healthcare needs are free). I'm sure drug coverage with insurance is fine, but the only drug I'd ever used throughout university (when I had insurance) isn't covered in Canada, so I can't say from experience how much the insurance helps.

I don't know how it is in places outside of the US and Canada, but medication isn't covered in Canada either and is very expensive. My parents must spend hundreds of dollars per month. Things like birth control aren't covered either, which they are in the US if I remember correctly. Medicine is an important part of healthcare, so it surprises me why it wouldn't be covered in some ways as well (I understand it's an extremely expensive endeavour, but our taxes are already high and many Canadians seem perfectly happy to pay them in the name of "free health care.") But you're right... people need them and will buy them so what choice is there really?

Thanks for the advice! Those are very interesting, I hadn't considered a lot of those things but I'll definitely look into them. Fortunately my allergies aren't severe, but I do seem to be allergic to just about everything. I avoid the foods I'm allergic to but it's hard to avoid things like dust in a house. It's also probably a bit foolish of me to keep cats since I have an allergy to them, but they don't seem to bother me much anymore as long as I don't let them sleep in my room (or on my head.) I'm hoping that keeping my own place really clean and getting to eat healthier foods will maybe help in its own way.

May I ask what natural remedies you use? I used to take allergy meds when I was young but stopped, and lately it seems like my allergies are coming back full force.. but I'd rather not have to start taking allergy meds again if I can find something else.

Thanks! I did contact my old doctor and they did not have my medical records either. Now I need to go down to Public Health and get a copy of my vaccine records there, so hopefully that all goes smoothly. No wonder my doctors don't know anything about me.. I don't like it either, believe me, so what I told you is what I try to tell myself.

I feel like it's probably easier to get along with random grad students than undergrads, at least. At least grad students all want to be at school and therefore you probably share some qualities related to that (passion for learning/research, hard-working, etc. I still felt like kind of a nerd among some undergrads when I actually enjoyed learning things and all they did was complain about how stupid school was!) A little while ago I had something similar happen. Somebody e-mailed me requesting my official transcript as soon as possible. This was a school I rejected a few weeks before, but the thing that bothered me was that they were only reviewing my application when they asked me, which was only a couple weeks ago! Good luck with that! It is kind of annoying still being out of the country when I am trying to deal with school-related things, so I definitely know how you feel. That actually reminds me, I need see what I have to do regarding immunizations. I don't think my new doctor has my vaccine records, so I'm kind of worried thinking I'm going to have to get all of my immunizations again...

I will take any excuse for making errors all the time! Seriously though that does sound like me, you're right. I felt silly at the time but it's no big deal. I agree. It's strange that it's mandatory for you, then. We have some events but they're only recommended, and seem to mostly be for undergrads anyway. I definitely don't like forced organized events either, especially dinners. I just find them awkward, I'm bad at small talk. I've met some people in my department already who have given me advice and have offered to help me with other things if needed. That makes more sense to me then lumping all international students in together for events, but I don't know... at least you can get some free food and maybe find a few cool people to hang out with?

I was registering for international student check-in and it was giving me an error so I decide to call the office. "Can you read out your ID to me? No see if you copied and pasted your ID the last number isn't showing up. Try adding the last number to the end now." Oh.. Yeah. So why am I being paid to go to grad school again??

For PhDs awarded, women comprise about ~40% of History PhDs, which is actually lower than other humanities programs and the average of all disciplines together (humanities, sciences, etc.)